Prosen

Two headlines caught my attention this week. The first one reported that the Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index continued its downward trend in May to a 16-year low. The Index now stands at 57.2, down from 62.8 in April. The second story read “Gap Turns Lean and Mean,” and reported on the company’s 40 percent hike in first-quarter profits. Despite a sharp 11 percent decline in same store sales, tightened inventory and cost-cutting, along with improved gross margins, helped improve the chain’s bottom line. You can believe the sky is falling or you can do whatever it takes to thrive and grow